


Safe Place to Land

by JediFighterPilot2727



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4907272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediFighterPilot2727/pseuds/JediFighterPilot2727
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mini-fic AU series that starts when Beca and Chloe are kids and moves forward. Little short ficlets based on the song Safe Place to Land by Christian Burghardt</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Playground

**Help me understand  
The war you're fighting   
We'll never have a chance  
If you fire blindly**

Chloe looked up at the sound of the classroom door opening to see a tiny little girl with blue eyes and brown hair enter. She must have been the same age as Chloe and the other kids, but she was smaller somehow; although Chloe could see a look in her eyes that said the girl would probably fight anyone who dared to mention her size. 

Ms. Asher led the new girl up to the front of the class, and Chloe smiled as she saw the girl clutching her Spiderman lunch box. Chloe loved Spiderman.

"Class, this is Beca!"

"Hi, Beca!" The group of first graders chorused back.

"She's going to be in our class now, so I want you all to give her a nice warm welcome, ok?"

"Yes, Ms Asher!"

Chloe stared at Beca until the other girl's eyes met hers. As soon as they did, she gave her biggest toothless smile. Chloe Beale may have only been 7 years old, but even she could see the look of terror that passed over Beca's face before it was quickly swallowed by a half smile, chin tilting out trying to show confidence.

"Alright Beca, let's see where we can get you a seat!"

"Ms Asher!"

"Raise your hand please, Chloe."

Chloe's hand shot up, waving frantically.

"Yes, Chloe?"

"Beca can sit by me! I have an empty seat!"

"That's very nice of you, Chloe! Beca, why don't you go put your lunch box in your cubby and come sit next to Chloe?"

The small girl nodded before walking over to the cubbies and stretching on her tiptoes to stick the Spiderman lunch box in her small square. Grabbing a purple pencil box, she walked over and took the seat next to Chloe. 

"We're working on writing our spelling words! You can share my list!" She pushed the piece of paper that she had been copying words off of into the middle of the desk so Beca could see it.

"Thanks." Beca frowned and she couldn't help but feel confused. She was being nice! She was smiling! Why was this new girl being so weird? She quickly brushed it off though and went back to her spelling words, pencil carefully tracing out the letters. 

Eventually, it was time for lunch; and Chloe took extra time getting her lunch box out so that she could stand in line with Beca. She drug the other girl through the milk line and towards the tables.

"Come on, you can sit with me!" 

Beca didn't say anything, but she followed Chloe anyway; settling in on the bench across from her. Chloe found herself staring as the Spiderman lunch box was opened and a sandwich was pulled out. 

"Nice lunchbox!"

"Thanks."

Chloe rolled her eyes and took out a bag of apple slices.

"You're supposed to say that mine looks nice, too!" she gestured to her own Little Mermaid box.

"Why?"

"Because it's polite!"

The girl appeared to think about that for a moment, dark eyebrows pulling together.

"Her hair matches yours," Beca spoke around a mouthful of sandhich. "It's pretty."

She wasn't a hundred percent sure whether the girl was referring to Ariel's hair or hers, but she chose to take it as a compliment anyway.

"I'm 7! How old are you?"

"6. And a half."

"What kind of sandwich do you have?"

"Ham and cheese."

"I love ham and cheese!"

"Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite, but mom says I can't bring that to school because some kids are allergic."

Chloe wasn't sure what exactly she was supposed to do with that information, but she pressed forward anyway.

"Well I have chicken salad! I'll trade you half for half?"

Beca didn't answer, but she did hand Chloe half of her sandwich and took the offered chicken salad. The silence made Chloe feel jittery and she allowed her legs to swing from the chair. She tried to start a conversation a few more times, but the brunette only gave short answers. Eventually, she gave up on trying to engage Beca in any sort of discussion and settled instead for telling the new girl everything she would possibly need to know about being a part of Ms. Asher's first grade class. The other girl listened quietly, nodding occasionally and asking the rare question. By the end of lunch period, Chloe felt like she had made a new friend, even if Beca didn't say as much.

Recess was not Chloe's favorite part of the day. Her class shared the playground with one of the third grade classes, and one of the third grade boys liked to make fun of Chloe's hair. 

"Red, Red, Red." He would chant incessantly. 

It wasn't so much that he called her Red, because she knew she had red hair, she loved her red hair! It was the way he yelled it, so taunting and mean. And he never stopped, no matter how many times she asked him nicely to stop. 

She followed Beca out to the swing set, keeping up a nice steady pace as she watched Beca swing higher and higher. 

"Red! Red! Red!"

She looked to the side to Tommy the third grader, yelling at her just as he always did. Her eyes dropped and her swinging slowed until she came to a stop, feet dragging in the tiny gravel. What she didn't see though was that Beca also stopped swinging and was watching her interaction with Tommy.

"Tommy, please stop."

"Why should I? Your hair's red isn't it? Red! Red! Red!"

Chloe could feel her eyes stinging with tears. 

"Hey, Tommy! She asked you to stop!"

She looked up to see Beca standing in front of the boy, arms crossed over her chest and stretched out to her full height. 

"Why should I? Who are you?"

"I'm Beca, and you should stop because she asked you nicely!"

"I don't think so, Shortie!" He turned back to Chloe. "Red! Red! R-yeooowwww!!"

Beca's fist made contact with his nose and his hands flew to his face.

"Wh--why'd you hit me for?"

"You were making her cry!" 

Tommy pulled his hands away from his nose, and Chloe's eyes widened at the sight of blood dripping down his face. Apparently, Tommy was also freaked out, because he immediately started screaming, tears quickly joining the blood. Even Beca looked a little shocked at the sight, although she quickly covered it with a smug expression. Before Chloe had a chance to thank her new friend, the teachers had come over and were tugging Beca and Tommy back into the school.

The next day when she thanked Beca for standing up for her, the brunette simply shrugged. 

"He deserved it."

"Did you get in trouble?"

"I have to stay inside for recess for a week. Totally worth it."

So when recess came, Chloe stayed inside too; and the next day, she made sure to pack her Spiderman coloring book and an extra pack of crayons.


	2. Camp Maple Lake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time jump between chapters is going to be about 3 years!

**You're circling the atmosphere  
Unsure if I'll disappear  
I'm not going nowhere  
Open your eyes**

 

"Alright campers, welcome to Camp Maple Lake!!" A woman in a bright pink t-shirt and a name tag that read 'Ms. Debbie' yelled out over a megaphone.

Fifty 10 year old girls screamed in excitement. Chloe glanced sideways at the small brunette standing next to her, irritated expression firmly in place. Make that 49 girls.

She bumped shoulders with the younger girl. "Come on Becs!" She whispered. "It'll be fun!"

Beca gave her a skeptical look. "Whatever you say, Red."

Chloe smiled at the nickname, Beca was the only one allowed to call her that. Everyone else was too scared, mainly because the story of Beca punching Tommy had given the girl quite a reputation; and sent a clear message - nobody messes with Chloe Beale. 

The megaphone rang out again. "Please go stand by the camp counselor that I point to when I call out your assigned cabin number! This is Megan! She is in charge of cabin number 1!"

There was a pause as ten of the girls sorted themselves out to go and stand by Megan.

"Becky is in charge of cabin number 2!"

"Cabin number 3, you've got Taylor!"

"Cabin number 4, head on over to Michelle!"

"That's us Bec! Come on!" She pulled Beca over to the growing group of girls.

"And Stephanie has got cabin number 5!"

Once all of the girls were settled in the groups, Ms. Debbie called out again.

"Alright campers! Your counselor is going to show you to your bunks and give you a tour! Then we'll all meet back here to learn the camp song!"

"There's a camp song? Really?" Beca's voice was a whisper in her ear.

"Don't sound so excited, besides, you love singing!" Chloe whispered back.

"I like singing with you, not with 50 other girls whom I've never met!" 

"It'll be fun!" She insisted but Beca just sighed.

"Alright, girls! My name is Michelle! Who's ready to have some fun?!"

Nine girls screamed back.

"Awesome! Now the first rule of Camp Maple Lake is stay safe! That means no swimming or canoing without myself or one of the other counselors present. Also, no wandering outside the camp boundaries without a guide! It's very easy to get lost! The bugle sounds at 7:30 in the morning for roll call, and lights out is at 9:30 so that's plenty of time for all sorts of fun camp activities! Now everyone follow me and we'll take a quick tour!"

As they made their way around the camp, Chloe could see Beca getting more a more interested; the arts and crafts room did nothing to wipe the scowl from her face, but the boathouse filled with canoes sparked her interest a little. Next was the archery range, and she did smile a little at that; but the music room - complete with all sorts of instruments- that was definitely her favorite; Chloe could tell. And she had to admit, she was more than a little excited about it herself.

Their cabin was small, with five bunk beds lined up across the back wall, and shelves for their backpacks and supplies. The walls were unpainted wood, but each bed was covered with a colorful quilt. 

"Everybody pick a bunk!" Michelle called out and Chloe immediately grabbed Beca's hand tugging her towards a corner bunk.

"Top or bottom Becs?"

"Uhhh, bottom."

"Great! I was hoping I could have top! I always wanted bunk beds like Mike and Charlie!"

"I'm sure your brothers would much rather have their own rooms."

"Why? Sharing is so much fun!"

Beca gave her a weird look before pulling out a pillow and a stuffed rabbit and sticking them on the bottom bunk. Chloe did the same before stashing her bag next to Beca's.

"Everybody! Back to the main camp!"

The rest of their first day passed in a blur, there were so many new people to make friends with and so many fun activities to try. Beca was quiet, but she could tell the smaller girl was having fun, even if she didn't want to admit it. It was an exhausting day for everyone, and when it was finally time for bed, Chloe climbed up into her bunk and collapsed.

"G'night, Becs." She called down.

"Good night, Chlo."

She fell asleep quickly, the sounds of crickets and frogs acting like a lullaby.

\- - - - - - - - 

"Chlo, Chlo. Are you awake?" 

"Mmm." She opened her eyes to see Beca's staring back at her; the younger girl dangling from the top bunk from her elbows. The moon made her look paler than normal, and if she didn't know any better, she would say that Beca Mitchell look scared. But that must be wrong, because in the three years that she had been Beca's best friend she had never seen Beca scared. Nervous maybe, shy, but never scared. 

"I'm awake."

"Can I, uh, can sleep up there? With you? There's a lot of noises."

"Yeah, come on."

Beca's head disappeared as she dropped to the floor and moved to the ladder. She pulled back the covers and the younger girl scooted in, clutching the rabbit.

"Thanks." 

"S'no problem."

She snuggle back down into the blankets and quickly drifted off to the sound of Beca's soft breathing.

\- - - - - - -

Reverie sounded extremely early, and it was no surprise that Beca slept right through it. 

"Becs! Come on! Wake Up!! We get to go canoeing today."

"Ok, ok I'm up." Beca wiped the sleep out of her eyes and crawled to the ladder.

Canoeing was just as fun as Chloe thought it would be, even thought they spent the first half hour going around in a circle. They went swimming after that, where there cabin one an epic splash battle against one of the other cabin. After lunch was free time, and Beca insisted that Chloe go play kickball with the other girls and she would be fine by herself. After her team won, Chloe was a master at kickball, she made her way to the music room where she assumed she would find Beca. Sure enough, the brunette was bent over the piano, fingers pressing the keys in an unfamiliar melody.

"Whatcha playin' Bec?" She dropped onto the piano bench beside her friend.

Beca shrugged. "Just, making it up."

"It sounds good!"

"Thanks." a blush spread up the shorter girls cheeks and she smiled.

"Now come on! You don't want to miss archery class!"

\- - - - - - - - 

Saturday came faster than Chloe expected, and while she had fun, she had to admit that she was a little homesick. The week had been filled with nature hikes and kickball tournaments, more crafts than even Chloe's mother could have though of, and enough archery class that they were finally able to hit the target. It had taken some doing to get Beca to try the rope swing over the lake, but after she tried it once it was her new favorite thing. The last night they got to stay up late and have a campfire, complete with roasted hot dogs and s'mores. One of the counselors even told a ghost story that had them screaming in terror. Despite the adrenaline rush, she was so exhausted that she fell off to sleep immediately, only to be woken by Beca once again. 

"Let's go look at the stars."

"What?"

"Let's go look at the stars, I've always wanted to see how the stars look away from the city. Dad's always talking about them but you can't see much from our backyard."

"But what if we get in trouble?"

"We're not going to get in trouble, I promise. And if we do then I'll take the blame."

It was a promise that Chloe had heard before, whenever Beca was trying to talk her into doing something risky. True to her word, on the rare occasion that they got caught, the younger girl always took responsibility; although Chloe was sure that their parents knew she was at least a little bit at fault for their schemes.

"Ok."

"Ok? That was easy."

"Well, I wanna go see the stars too!"

They climbed quietly down to the floor and Beca grabbed a flashlight and started for the door but Chloe reached for the quilt on the bottom bunk. 

"It's gonna get cold!" She explained at Beca's eyeroll.

The grass was wet with dew, and she could feel it soaking into the hem of her pajama bottoms. They walked to the edge of the camp and Chloe spread the quilt out before they lay down at it and pulled the extra over them. 

"Wow." She whispered, staring up the massive expanse of sky above them uncluttered by city lights.

"Yep," Beca said smugly, "Told you it would be nice." 

The cool night air shifted through their hair as Chloe listened to Beca tell the myths behind different constellations, stories that she assumed the younger girl had read in her father's books. Silence eventually fell over them as the night got darker, and Chloe could feel herself getting sleepy again. She was just about to suggest that they head back inside when Beca's voice interrupted her thoughts. 

"So, umm. I want you to have this." Beca dangled something between them and she shifted to a sitting position to get a better look. It was a woven band of yellow and blue, and Chloe recognized it as one of the bracelets that they had crafted the day before.

"It's my favorite colors!"

"Yeah, well you know, it's supposed to be a friendship bracelet and uh, well you're my best friend, so you know, I figured you should have it." Beca cleared her throat and Chloe could see the unsure look in her eyes.

"I love it!" She exclaimed, wrapping the younger girl in a bear hug. "It's perfect!" 

Beca was limp at first, but she finally lifted her arms up to hug Chloe properly.

"Wait, I have something for you! I was going to wait until we got home, but you should have it now." She pulled back to dig in her pocket and pull out a matching purple and red bracelet. Beca's smile got bigger than she had ever seen it. 

"I've never been somebody's best friend before!"

"Yeah, well you're mine, so I guess that means you're pretty much stuck with me!"


	3. The Divorce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The kiddos are about 13 in this one!

"You ok, Becs?"

"Huh?" The brunette continued to smear her mashed potatoes around on her plate.

"You just seem distracted." 

"Oh." 

Chloe sighed, taking a long look at her best friend. There were dark circles under her blue eyes, and her usually soft brown hair looked stringy and unwashed. She was even paler than normal and her clothes looked like they were swallowing her up.

"I can tell you're upset about something, and it's fine if you don't want to tell me but you should at least eat your lunch." She stared pointedly at the plate of food.

"I'm not hungry."

"Bec, you're skin and bones; come on eat something."

When the younger girl didn't respond, she reached across the table and took her fork, scooped up a heap of potatoes and held it in front of Beca.

"Eat."

The brunette gave her a scowl that would have been enough to make anyone else leave her alone, but Chloe held firm, even moving the spoon closer.

"Eat." She repeated.

"Fine." It was practically a growl, but Beca took the spoon and shoved the mashed potatoes in, only to open her mouth back up and stick her tongue out at the redhead, slobbery potatoes spilling out.

"Happy?"

Chloe bit back a grin at Beca's antics, and handed over a napkin for the stray potatoes that had somehow managed to make it onto the the younger girls cheek.

"Yes, do you feel better?"

"Yes." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she twirled the cafeteria Spaghetti around her fork. 

They are in silence for a moment, Chloe watching Beca carefully to make sure she was indeed eating. They were halfway through lunch period before Beca spoke again.

"Mom and dad are fighting a lot."

Chloe knew that the Mitchell's didn't have the best marriage, but it must have been pretty bad recently to tear Beca up like this.

"Oh." 

"They do it at night cause I guess they think I can't hear them, but it's kinda hard to sleep when they're screaming at each other."

"You know you can always come sleep at my house, you know mom won't care."

"They said they want to talk to me tonight."

"About what?"

"I dunno, hopefully about getting a divorce."

"Hopefully?"

"Yeah? I mean anything is better than this right?"

Chloe shrugged sympathetically, unsure of what to say. Her mom and dad had their problems, but she couldn't say she remembered them ever screaming at each other.

"If you need me, for anything -"

"I know, I know, you're always there for me." 

The bell rang, and she was pleased to note that Beca had eaten most of her lunch and the air of gloom that had been surrounding her had dissipated somewhat. 

They were silent the whole bus ride home, despite the ruckus around them; Chloe reading their history textbook and Beca staring out the window, headphones firmly in place. She could hear a faint beat thumping from the ear muffs, and she found herself wondering, like she often did, what her friend was listening too. It was no secret that Beca had a great taste in music, even making her own mixes occasionally, and usually the song she was playing was a great indicator as to her mood. Today though, Chloe resisted the urge to take one of the headphones and listen in; the younger girl looked like she could use some privacy, and she could easily read the mood written in blue eyes. 

So she sat in silence, offering a smile whenever Beca happened to look her direction, but otherwise leaving her alone. When the bus stopped at the point between their two subdivisions, she gave Beca a tight hug, holding it a few seconds longer than usual.

"Remember, I'm just a call or a text away."

Beca rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know."

Chleo turned to leave but Beca's voice called after her.

"Hey, Chlo!"

"Yeah, Becs?"

"Thanks." 

She brushed it off with a flip of her hand, "I know, I know."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Can I come over?"

The message flashed across her screen, momentarily distracting her from the intense effort she was putting in to painting her nails just right.

"Of course" She pecked it out, careful not to smudge her hard work.

"Good, I'm already here."

"???"

"The window."

It was a good thing that the nail polish was safe on the night stand because she startled violently at the dark figure standing outside her second story window. She knew Beca was going to be there before she looked, but there was just something spooky about a creepy shadow outside your bedroom.

"Geez Becs, couldn't come in the front door like a normal person?" She muttered under her breath, palming the window pane to open it without damaging her nails.

"Sorry, I didn't really feel like talking to anybody." The younger girl apologized, stepping from the room to the window seat. 

"Yeah, well, who needs a front door when you have a best friend that thinks shes Spiderman?"

"Spiderman wouldn't have used a ladder."

"You're such a nerd, you know that right? All the kids at school think you're some badass, but I know the truth."

"The truth?" One dark eyebrow quirked upwards.

"Beca Mitchell is gigantic nerd who reads comic books and plays video games and secretly loves it when her best friend paints her fingernails." She tossed out the last bit as bait, knowing that Beca would be more likely to talk about what was bothering her if she was stuck in one place without the use of her hands.

"Fine, but only black."

"You know I keep a special bottle just for you, you have a badass image to up hold after all."

She waited patiently as Beca kicked off her shoes and lay out on the bed before she took a seat beside her, tugging a hand into her lap and reaching for the bottle of black nail polish. 

"You've been biting your nails again." she chastised gently.

"At least I can blame it on my divorced parents now, huh?"

She said it flippantly, but Chloe could hear the hurt underneath and gave her pause, unsure of how to respond.

"Are they for sure getting a divorce?"

"Yeah, they told me just a little bit ago."

"Are you ok?"

The brunette shrugged. 

"It's whatever, at least the house will be quiet."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. If it's anybody's fault it's mine."

"It's not your fault Becs."

"I know."

She could see the tears glistening in Beca's eyes and she quickly refocused on getting the lines of paint right, giving the younger girl some privacy. Silence settled over them for a few minutes before Beca continued. 

"They said I could pick who I want to live with."

"And?"

"Dad's moving to Georgia."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"So obviously I'm picking mom. Cause I'm not leaving you. Or you know school, or grandma."

"Won't you miss your dad?"

"He says he'll come visit."

"That's good."

"Maybe I'll be like Allison Stewart."

"How?"

"Her dad left and now she gets like ridiculously expensive presents from him all the time."

She rolled her eyes. 

"You're crazy, and your nails are done."

Beca held her fingers up in front of her face.

"Awesome, thanks."

"Anytime, but you owe me a listen to your latest mix."

"Of course!"

There was a knock at the door and Chloe's mom stuck her head in. 

"Beca, your mom called, she thought you might be here; I told her you were more than welcome to here for the night if you want."

"Thanks Mrs. Beale. I'd like to stay if that's ok." 

"Of course, dear; I'll let your mother know." The door closed, but her mother's voice echoed back as she walked down the hall. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!"

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Later that night, Beca came back from her shower, and Chloe couldn't help but noticed how much different the girl looked from that morning. Her face didn't look as haunted and her freshly washed hair was hanging around her face. She couldn't help but think that the younger girl looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders as she crawled in the bed next to Chloe, twirling the worn strings of her friendship bracelet around her wrist. 

"It's weird, I feel oddly better."

"Maybe it's just 'cause you know what's happening now?" She suggested.

"Maybe. Thanks, for being there."

"What else are best friends for?"

"Ummm. . . . I uh, I kinda feel like I wanna cry though."

Chloe leaned back into the pillows and opened her arms. "C'mere"

Beca's face crinkled up in a sob as she crawled across the bed, collapsing into the older girl.

"Cry it out, Becs, it's ok. Shh." Her arms tightened around Beca, hands stroking wet hair away from her face as salty tears soaked into her shirt.

**I'm always  
gonna be  
Your safe place to land  
safe place to land  
The ground beneath your feet  
Like you never had  
Like you never had**


	4. Spinach Smoothies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The girls are 16ish in this one.

Beca had been off for weeks. She was moody and weird, and she never wanted to hang out with Chloe anymore. Which is saying something, because they were usually together a lot. Every time the redhead tried to make plans, Beca would come up with some excuse. Needless to say, Chloe was a little frustrated. Beca had been her best friend for going on 9 years now, and she had thought they were close enough that Beca could talk to her about something that was so obviously bothering her.

She missed Beca, there was just no getting around it. No one else really got her like the brunette did, and she missed the afternoons where she would force some study time on Beca while she played Chloe her new mixes. Part of her was terrified that she had done something to upset the younger girl; she did have a tendency to be a little intrusive and, as some would say, over-peppy; but she thought that Beca would have been used to that by now, or at least comfortable enough to call her out on it. Regardless of the reason, Chloe didn't deal well with being ignored, especially by her best friend.

Which is exactly why she found herself biking over to Beca's house on Saturday morning.

She knew the DJ wouldn't be awake yet, but that was exactly her plan. She also knew that Beca's mom had to work today. Which meant that she would be able to surprise and corner the younger girl before working her patented Chloe Beale magic to get Beca to open up to her.

She propped her bike beside the garage, and made her way down the stone walkway to the front door. She rang the doorbell once, waiting a moment before ringing it again. And again. And again. And again. She finally stopped when she heard footsteps thumping on the stairs and Beca's voice calling down.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez! 7 o'clock on a freakin' Saturday!"

She heard the locks clicking open, and after a moments pause she was greeted with the sight of the bleary eyed brunette, glasses perched on her nose and a messy bun of bed hair piled on top of her head. She was wearing an old band shirt, and her Garfield pajama bottoms were slung low on her hips. Chloe smiled at that, because she had gotten Beca those pants for her birthday last year, (Beca hated Mondays), so if she was still wearing them then at least she didn't completely despise Chloe. Her eyes drifted back upwards, stuttering for a moment at then the thin strip of pale skin peeking between her shirt and pants. She was NOT going to even come close to dealing with the 'I might have feelings for my best friend because she's so incredibly attractive' problem today. No, she was here because Beca had been avoiding her and she needed to find out why. She had to stick to her game plan.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" She sing-songed, pushing her way past Beca and into the house.

"Please, Chloe, won't you come in?" Beca snarked as she closed the door, but Chloe was already making her way into the kitchen. She set down her backpack on the counter and pulled out a thermos, separating the contents between two glasses.

"What is that?" Chloe could hear the disdain dripping from the younger girl's words, but she pushed one of the glasses towards her before turning back to the backpack and pulling out bagels.

"It's my new smoothie recipe, I thought you should try it."

"It's . . . green." Beca took a seat at one of the barstools, and pulled the glass up to her nose, sniffing it.

"And you're not color blind! Go you." Chloe tried to keep her tone teasing, popping the bagels into the toaster.

"It tastes. . ." She watched as Beca mulled the small sip around on her tongue before finally shrugging. "like peanut butter."

She snorted.

"Please, do you really think I would try and feed you something that tasted like kale? I know you better than that!"

"Kale?! Is that why it's so green? eww."

"No, Beca, it's not kale." She purposefully waited until the brunette swallowed a large gulp. "It's spinach."

Beca's nose crinkled up in disgust, and Chloe laughed. "You thought it was delicious just a minute ago."

"It's still delicious, now it's just disgustingly delicious."

Chloe snorted and tossed the first bagel on a plate and passing it to Beca along with a container of cream cheese. "I also know you well enough to know when you're avoiding me." she finished pointedly.

"So what, you came over to make me eat vegetables for breakfast?"

Chloe filed away the fact that Beca didn't deny avoiding her, but chose to deal with that later; instead narrowing her eyes.

"When was the last time you had a breakfast that didn't consist of sugary breakfast cereal?"

"Uhhh, last Sunday? When mom took me out for our weekly brunch?"

"Exactly what I thought. That's why I brought breakfast, and also because I know you cooperate better when I bribe you with food." She slathered up her own bagel before taking the seat next to Beca.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Beca spoke up.

"Thanks, for taking care of me, even when I'm being a dick."

"Yeah, well, you're my best friend, Becs."

Beca laughed nervously. "You've got this whole guilt trip thing down pat, huh?"

Chloe remained silent, taking a sip of smoothie.

"Sorry, for that." Beca continued.

"For what?"

"Being a dick."

"I don't know if I would call it being a dick, you were just actively avoiding me."

"Sorry about that, too."

"Did I do something?"

Beca's eyes jumped to hers. "What?! No! God, no!"

"Then what's going on?"

The DJ scratched the back of her neck, and Chloe could tell that she was struggling for the words.

"It's not you, it's me?" Beca finally tried.

Chloe's heart dropped to her toes.

"Is this the beginning of a friendship breakup? Because-"

"No, no, no! Ugh!" Beca groaned, "I'm so not good at this." She paused again before continuing. "You're perfect. Like literally perfect. You're my best friend, and you're the only person who like- cares about me. At least that's the way it feels sometimes, and I'm just scared to death that I'm going to make you not like me anymore."

"Seriously? Not gonna happen. Now will you please tell me what's going on with you?"

"It's uhh. . . I uhh. . . " Her voice became impossibly small, and Chloe had to strain to hear her. "I'm scared."

"Scared?"

Beca nodded, refusing to meet her eyes.

"You punched a bully for me in first grade, how scary could this be?" She laughed, but Beca didn't say anything, fingers twisting and eyes fixed on the floor. "Hey, come on; you know you can tell me anything. You don't have to tell me though, whatever it is, just don't avoid me again, I can't take it."

Beca's eyes drifted up to lock onto hers, and she could read the fear in them. She held the stare for a moment before Beca broke it and moved to put their plates in the sink. She paused there, her back to Chloe, and the redhead could see her shoulders stiffen.

"I'm gay!" The tiny brunette blurted, spinning from the sink to look at Chloe like a deer in headlights.

"What?"

"I'm gay. Like full blown, Ellen Degeneres, gay. And I'm just you know, figuring all of this out and I'm kind of freaking out because your my best friend and I don't want you to get all weirded out, but at the same time I don't wanna have to hide it because it's like a really big part of who I am and I just . . . " she huffed out a sigh. "Well?"

"That's why you've been acting so weird about?"

Beca nodded slowly.

"I'm not really surprised, Becs. I mean I've suspected for a while that you were at least bi."

"But you never said anything?"

"I figured if it was something I needed to know then you would tell me. It's not like it changes anything."

"It doesn't?"

Her heart pounded against her ribcage, begging her to speak up.

"Nope, not a thing."

Beca's eyes drifted to her lips before jerking back upwards. A soft smile stretched her lips, but Chloe could feel air between them slowly losing its sizzle.

"Good, great! I feel a lot better now."

"I'm glad. You know you can always tell me anything Becs, it's not going to change anything between us."

"Yeah, I know, I was just . . . being stupid I guess."

Chloe nodded slowly. "You know, I think as punishment you should be forced to watch a marathon of America's Next Top Model with me."

"Chlo." It came out as a groan, slim shoulders slumping forward dramatically.

"What, I know you secretly love that show, besides; you can ogle all the pretty girls openly now."

Another groan. "You're not going to stop teasing me about this are you?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p', grinning wickedly.

Beca's eyes narrowed. "You're so evil, Beale."

"Yeah but you love me!"

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   
Three months later, the winter formal came, and it was no surprise to Chloe when Beca asked Julie Sanders to be her date. Julie was captain of the lacrosse team and pretty and smart, and funny; and the list of reasons why Chloe hated her guts was three miles long. At the very top of that list was the fact that she wasn't Chloe.

It wasn't that Chloe was jealous per say, but she just didn't really take pleasure in seeing Beca snuggling up with someone else. If anything, Beca's revelation a few months ago had only cemented her feelings. She had gigantic crush on her best friend and she was too scared to do anything about it. 

So instead, she ended up with Shawn Jackson, douche bag extraordanaire, who had ended up dumping her an hour in and was currently getting handsy with one of the girls from band. That left Chloe sitting at one of the corner tables, watching her best friend twirl one of the prettiest girls in school around on the dance floor. She refused to bum out Beca's evening though, so she got up and made her way outside. It was chilly, a light snow in the air and she pulled her wrap tighter around her before taking a seat on the steps to the gymnasium. The cold stung the tip of her nose and her cheeks, and she was sure that snow was dusting her hair. 

"May I have this dance?"

She jerked her head over her shoulder to see Beca standing behind her, arm extended in her direction.

"Becs! What are you doing? Where's Julie?"

"She's with her team, she's fine; I'm out here to check on you, I saw dick wad in there making out with Stacie."

"Yeah, magical night." She huffed and turned back to look out over the parking lot, cars coated in white. 

"Come on, dance with me." When she didn't move, Beca nudged her with a foot. "Chlo, dance with me, please?"

"She stood with a sigh, taking the offered hand as they walked down the steps and onto the concrete. Beca's right hand fell to her waist, left hand gripping Chloe's right. She let her hand rest on Beca's shoulder, and she took a moment to appreciate how beautiful her best friend looked tonight. Her brown hair was styled in curls and her usual dark makeup had been traded in for something a little lighter. She was a suit, the tight pants ending just above the highest heels she had ever seen Beca wear. The jacket was tailored perfectly, and the starched shirt was left open to a dangerously low button. Chloe found herself forcing her gaze up and away from Beca's cleavage. 

"Remember when we were little and we used to do this?" Beca's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Remember? That's how I learned to dance! Sorry about your toes by the way."

"That's the good thing about toes, you have ten, so if you lose one, it's not a huge deal!"

Chloe laughed, her head leaning forward to rest on Beca's shoulder. This was so nice, she almost couldn't even feel the cold with Beca's arms around her, soft breath blowing on her face. Maybe it was the magical feeling of the snow, or the fact that she was so tired of hiding how she felt, but something inside her snapped. 

"Hey Becs?"

"Yeah?" Beca turned to look at her, and she could see blue eyes sparkling, even in the dark. 

She leaned forward, pressing their lips together. Softly at first, but harder when Beca didn't pull away. The hand at her waist tightened, pulling her closer, and the hand that had been gripping hers slipped into red curls. 

It was everything Chloe had ever hoped for. It tasted like punch, and felt like home, and sent a thousand butterflies into flight in her stomach.

It ended all too quickly, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she could see the panic written all over Beca's face.

"Just- let me explain." But the brunette was already pushing her away, turning for the parking lot.

"I have to go."

"Becs!"

"I have to go!"

She watched the younger girl trot off to her car, her heart dripping down to her toes.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Usually Beca was the one climbing ladders and hanging out on rooftops, but in this instance it was Chloe. She didn't know when, exactly, that she thought it would be a good idea to sneak up to Beca's window, but here she was; ladder propped up against the side of the Mitchell house. She tapped lightly on Beca's window and the younger girl turned, rolling her eyes when she saw Chloe.

"Red, what are you doing? It's freezing out there! She lifted the window and reached out a had to pull Chloe in.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened tonight"

"Nope, not necessary! No talk needed!"

"Bec, just listen, please? And then I promise I'll let us forget about what happened if that's what you want."

The brunette nodded slowly. 

"i like you Becs, like really, really like you. And I have for a while, but i was afraid that you wouldn't even like girls, and then when I found out you're gay I was afraid you might not like me. Then tonight, I don't know, I just wanted to see what it felt like. But obviously, you're not into me, so we can just forget about it."

Beca dropped to sit on the bed, her hands suddenly becoming extremely interesting. "Not into you? Is that seriously what you think?"

Chloe nodded and then realized Beca couldn't see her. "Yes?"

"That's not. . . no, just no." She huffed out a breath and finally met Chloe's eyes. "You're like one of the reasons I realized I'm gay."

"Really?"

"Yes, really; you're frickin' hot!" the DJ pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "I want to be with you, so bad, but I can't risk this, you're the best friend I ever had, I can't-"

Chloe cut her off with another kiss, this one slow and sensual, tongues meeting stroke for stroke. She felt like her insides were slowly melting, but her skin was tingling all over. All too soon, Beca's hands were on her face, pushing her back; a sad smile on her face as she brushed Chloe's hair from her eyes. 

"I can't."

She might have been able to honor those wishes a few hours ago, but know that she had gotten a taste (literally), there was no way she was giving it up again.

"Come on." She stood up. "Get a coat, we're going out."

"Out?" Beca sounded bewildered, but she grabbed a jacket anyway.

"Come on, don't act like you've never snuck out before."

"Where are we even going?"

"Just trust me Mitchell."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The tattoo shop was open late, and according to Beca they never carded, so it was just the kind of place Chloe needed.

"The tattoo shop?"

"I'm going to get my ladybug, and you're going to get your grasshopper."

"I've been trying to get you to do this for weeks, why now?'

"The tattoos are symbols of our personalities and our friendship right?' 

"Yeah?"

"So we're going to get them to show that no matter what happens between us, we'll always be friends. You'll always have me. Tattoos are forever right?"

"Yeah."

"Well so are we."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Later that night, they stood in front of the Beale house, fresh ink wrapped up under coats.

"So we're doing this huh?" Beca's voice wavered, from the cold or emotion, she wasn't sure.

"I'm game if you are."

"So romantic, Beale."

"You haven't seen anything, Mitchell!"

Beca laughed before her voice turned serious. 

"Are you sure about this?"

"No." She gripped Beca's fingers tighter. "But there's nothing else I'd rather take a chance on."

"Well in that case, can I take you on a date tomorrow night?"

"I'd have to skip movie night with my best friend . . ."

"I'm sure she would understand, it's not everyday you get a date with a badass like me!"

She laughed at that, and Beca grinned before tilting her head up for a kiss. As she bent her head to seal their lips together, she couldn't think of a more perfect beginning to a love story.

**When you're at 10, 000 feet  
No parachute  
You got my hand  
I?m always gonna be  
Your safe plance to land  
Safe place to land**


	5. College Decisions

**And you say your heart is made of glass  
If you fall apart then I'll glue you back  
well i'm made of paper mache  
And i'll blow away if i can't make you stay  
Your're circling the atmosphere  
Unsure if i'll disappear  
Open your eyes**

It was Sunday afternoon, and Chloe was laying on the couch with her head in Beca’s lap; legs dangling over the arm rest and Great Expectations in front of her. She didn’t particularly want to be spending her weekend reading Dickens, but she had a test on Wednesday over it that was going to be killer.

“I can’t believe that in less than six months we’re going to be living on opposite sides of the country. And that you’re going to the same college that my dad teaches at. That’s just weird."

Chloe put down her book to stare at Beca, the younger girl having given up on her mixing to massage the redhead’s scalp, fingernails gently raking the skin.

“Barden has a fantastic elementary education program! Besides, we’re gonna Skype like everyday, and I’ll text you all the time! Plus, you can’t forget about holidays!” She forced cheeriness into her voice.

“Yeah, but I mean what if I can’t make it home for the holidays? I’m going to be working in the clubs, trying to pay my dues. If I get offered a gig on Christmas or something, I’m not really going to be in a position to turn it down."

“Well then I’ll come to California for the holidays."

“I’m not going to ask you to do that, you love it when all of your relatives get together."

“Yeah, but I love you more!"

“I’m going to be in a shitty apartment somewhere, I’m not going to let you spend your vacations from school like that."

Chloe was starting to take offense now, but she tried to sound like she was joking.

“Are you like forbidding me from coming to see you?"

“No! I just-“ She stopped abruptly, her fingers stilling in Chloe’s hair and her teeth tugging her bottom lip in between them. “It’s going to be really hard for . . . well a while. and you’re going to be at college, with lots of hot girls - and guys and I’m sure you’ll want to go out and party and experiment and I don’t want to hold you back . . . from that."

“Seriously? You’re going to be the hottest DJ in LA and you’re worried about me cheating on you with some collar popper at a stuffy liberal arts college?"

“No, no! I’m not worried about that, I mean I know you would never do anything like that."

She could feel herself beginning to get frustrated at the topic of conversation.

“So, what? You’re worried about cheating on me? I mean should I be concerned about all the models and rockstars that you’re going to be hanging out with?"

“Chloe, that’s work- it doesn’t count."

She jerked up abruptly, hair falling around her face only to get pushed back out of her eyes with a huff.

“It doesn’t count because it’s work?! What exactly is that supposed to mean?!"

“I just mean that it’s not like I’ll be choosing to hang out with those people, it’s something I’ll have to do because of work!"

“Well I can’t exactly hole up in my dorm room for four years because my girlfriend is afraid that I’ll ditch her for some frat boy! I mean human interaction is a part of life, Beca! We can’t all be hermits like you!"

“That’s not- that’s not what I’m saying.” The DJ held her hands out in front of herself as a defense.

“Then what exactly are you saying?” Chloe was mad now, and she did nothing to soften the bite in her tone.

“I just don’t want to hold you back from having the whole college experience.” A ball of ice settled in her gut as Beca spoke the words and she began dreading where this conversation was heading.

“Hold me back?"

Beca sighed, refusing to meet her eyes.

“I just mean that if you need to step back from us in order to get the most out of college the you should."

“Are you - are you suggesting we break up? All because I offered to visit you for Thanksgiving?"

“I don’t want to hold you back.” Beca repeated.

When Chloe didn’t answer for a few minutes, she continued.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while."

“You’ve been wanting to break up with me for 'a while' and you didn’t think it would be important to mention?!"

“I don’t want to break up with you.” the smaller girl insisted. “I just want what’s best for you."

“What’s best for me? What’s best for me? When did you all of the sudden get to decide that us breaking up is what’s best for me?!” Beca moved to speak, but Chloe cut her off.

“No! You do not get to pretend that this is what’s best for me in order to make yourself feel better for breaking up with me!"

“I’m not breaking up with you!"

“Really?! Because that’s sure as shit what it feels like!"

“Chlo-"

“I’m done here!” Chloe snatched her book off of the coffee table and went to the door. “Call me when you get your head out of your ass."

She stepped out of the Mitchell house only to collapse against the closed door. She had always been afraid that this would happen. That Beca would become a famous DJ and ditch her. She just thought she would have a little more time.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A week came and went, and it was the longest Chloe could ever remember going without talking to Beca. She refused to the one to cave though, because she knew the younger girl was wrong on this. She knew that they could make it through a long distance relationship and come out stronger on the other side. She knew the DJ wasn’t going to cheat on her with some rockstar, and she definitely wasn’t going to cheat on Beca; so she wasn’t quite sure what they were fighting about exactly. But she wasn’t going to be the first to apologize, especially when she hadn’t done anything wrong.

It’s not like she was looking forward to spending four years without her best friend, and sure, it would be hard- but she also knew that they were bigger than this- she had faith. They were meant to be together. She had thought on numerous occasions about switching to a college closer to LA, but Barden really did have a great academic program, not to mention one of the best all women collegiate a Capella groups in the country. Besides, it just felt like where she was supposed to be, and that counted for a lot in Chloe’s book.

Rumors were starting to spread around the school about her and Beca breaking up, but she tuned them out. She also got several date offers, and she had to admit that she was a little nervous -if she was getting asked out, then she knew Beca had to be too. She stood strong though, refusing to be the first one to break, as much as it broke her heart. Finally, a little over a week after their fight, Beca stopped her in the hall before first period with a quick “We need to talk? Park after school?” and Chloe barely had time give an affirmative before the younger girl was rushing off down the hall.

So here Chloe was drifting lazily on the swing, trying to ignore the pins and needles that had been slowly filling her insides all day. She had no idea what Beca wanted to talk about. She hoped it was something along the lines of how sorry she was for starting a fight with her, but she was trying not to get her hopes up.

Suddenly, a large manilla envelope fell into her lap and Beca plopped into the swing next to her.

“Hey."

“What’s this?” She asked, holding up the envelope.

“My acceptance letter to Barden University."

“What? How?"

“I mean I know I have a reputation for being a slacker, but I still do pretty well in school, Beale.” There was the smirk that she had missed so much.

“Applications were due months ago!"

“Dad pulled some strings for me."

“But, LA?"

“Can wait.” Beca reached over to link their fingers together. “I did some research and there are actually a couple of really big recording companies that have internship programs with Barden. If I got one of those, it would be a pretty big step in the door."

“I’m not letting you give up your dream, Becs! This is all you’ve ever wanted!”

“I’m still going to be a kick-ass music producer, I’ll just have a fancy music degree hanging on the wall. Plus Dad said that if I actually tried at school then he would help me move to LA once I graduate.” The DJ looked down at their hands and Chloe could see the tears glistening in her blue eyes. "It’s not worth losing you for four years just to be a rebel, Chlo."

“You wouldn’t lose me-"

“I know, you say that, but I was going crazy just thinking about leaving you. I mean I picked a fight and tried to get you to break up with me! Sorry about that, by the way."

“It’s ok.”

“It’s not, and I’m sorry. Forgive me?"

Chloe nodded slowly and then grinned wickedly as a thought struck her.

“On two conditions."

“Uh-oh, I know that look.” Beca actually looked nervous.

“We share a dorm room!"

A lone eyebrow raised slowly.

“Is there any part of you that thought I wouldn’t agree to that? What else?"

“You join the Bellas with me!"

“The a Capella group? Really? Chloe, I don’t sing!"

“Please, Becs?” She puffed her bottom lip out in a pout that she knew her girlfriend wouldn’t be able to resist. “Pretty please?"

The DJ groaned, slinking down in the swing.

“How do I let you talk me into these things?"

Chloe grinned, leaning down to pull Beca to her feet.

“Let’s face it, Mitchell- I’ve pretty much had you wrapped around my finger since day one."


	6. Graduation

It’s amazing, really; how much has changed in a little over four years.

Four years ago, Chloe would have never thought that Beca would be a willing participant of an a Capella group, let alone the co-captain of one. She also wouldn’t have thought she would ever see her girlfriend willingly study and you know, put forth an effort in regards to anything involving academics. But here she was, labeled by many of her teachers as one of the most brilliant students they had ever encountered. And sure, most of those classes were related to music in some way, shape, or form; but it was impressive none the less.

They had grown somehow closer over their college years; there was that time sophomore year where they didn’t speak for a week, (yet still slept in the same bed - looking back, it was very odd), but she had never felt closer to anyone. The Bellas all liked to joke that they were the old married couple of the group, even though neither one of them had actually gotten around to proposing yet - not that Chloe would object if Beca asked- but still.

The Bellas. Now that was a crazy group of girls. If someone had told her four years ago that she and Beca would grow so close to them over the past four years, she would have laughed in their face. But today they were all huddling in a dressing room, crying and hugging as they prepped to walk across the stage at graduation.

She couldn’t help but feel the impending sense of emptiness weighing down on her.

College, wasn’t scary. It had always been the next step. It was inevitable. She wanted to teach elementary school, so she had to go to college. She had had like her whole life to prepare for it. What she was not prepared for though, was what happened after college.

Because she didn’t know what happened. Sure, she had a job lined up teaching kindergarten at a local school, and Beca had decided to stay in Atlanta for a while since she had been offered a full time, (paying), position at Residual Heat. But besides that, what really happened?

For the first time ever, she and Beca were going to be living on their own, not in a dorm room, not in the Bella house, in a actual apartment. Like adults.

Oh, god.

Is that what she was now?

An adult?

Today it was college graduation, next it would be a mortgage, and before she knew it, they would get married, and have little mini Beca and Chloe’s running around, and then she was going to blink and they were going to be 80 years old and then eventually they would die and let’s face it, Beca was definitely going to die first because her eating habits were horrible and she drank way too much caffeine and stayed up way too late, and she never had really taken Aubrey’s tip about cardio seriously -

“You ok, Chlo?” Beca’s voice was cutting through her sudden whirlwind of anxiety, a firm hand on her shoulder to gently bring her back to earth.

“I can’t graduate, Bec, I can’t do it!”

“You’re gonna be fine.” Soft lips press against her forehead. “You look beautiful, and you’re going to be fine. I’ll be right there the whole time."

And that settles her, at least for a while.

Because she doesn’t really have time to think after that, as the mass of graduates files out into the gymnasium and the announcer calls out first Chloe’s name, and then Beca’s. Then there’s a big dinner with both of their families, and she’s more concerned about keeping Beca from having a conniption fit with both of her parents, (and step-parents), and the entire Beale clan at the same table.

Then they’re moving into their new apartment, and at first she feels fantastic because they’re really doing it, she and Beca, they’re about to be living on their own in a big city. And it’s exciting really; who wouldn’t be excited about moving into a small little apartment with their best friend/girlfriend who’s on the verge of being the hottest DJ since David Guetta.

But as Beca goes down stairs for the last load of boxes, she’s left in the apartment alone to look at the bare walls and the clean floors with stacks of boxes piled on them.

It hits her, sharply, like a smack in the face.

The anxiety, and the unsureness, and the overall feeling of free-falling.

Without warning, she’s collapsing onto the floor, stopped suddenly as strong arms catch her waist before she can hit the ground. Beca's dragging her back to the couch and it’s all she can do to cling to the younger girl, but Beca doesn’t seem to mind; her hands stroking Chloe’s hair and her voice soothing nonsensical terms of comfort into her ears.

And somehow Beca knows- because brunette always knows, when it comes to Chloe - that she’s freaking out about the changes that have been happening so quickly these last few months. And Chloe appreciates that she doesn’t ask questions or stop the random patterns that she’s rubbing on the redhead’s back.

She doesn’t know how long she sits like that, in Beca’s lap with her head tucked tightly into the space between the brunettes neck and shoulder, fingers quickly losing circulation from how tightly they are twisted in Beca’s shirt. Eventually, when her breath come normally and her muscles stop shaking; the DJ turns her and lays her down on the edge of the couch before kicking off their shoes and squeezing in behind her. She cradles her like a tight spoon, one arm around Chloe’s chest and the other around her stomach - pulling her so tightly that she can feel Beca’s heartbeat on her back. It’s soothing to count the beats. To imagine their heartbeats synching up and beating together.

There isn’t anyone on earth who Chloe would rather share a heartbeat with than Beca.

And the thought lulls her into a more peaceful state, almost sleeping. At that point, Beca is easing out from behind her to hook her iPhone up to the portable speaker sitting in the corner (Beca had insisted that they unpack that first).

The first chords fill the room, and Chloe smiles, recognizing it as their song as Beca moves to kneel in front of the couch, her hand reaching out to take Chloe’s.

“May I have this dance?"

Chloe giggles, because really how adorable is that, and gets to her feet, pulling the brunette close.

“Of course!"

They dance in that awkward, high school dance style at first; until the track switches to a random 90’s pop song and they’re singing into fake microphones, Beca sending her into peals of laughter with her air guitar impressions.

It’s then, her face red with laughter and a smile stretched across her face, that she realizes that it doesn’t really matter what happens next.

Because Beca is her home.

And as long as she's there, nothing else really matters.

**I'm always  
gonna be  
Your safe place to land  
safe place to land  
The ground beneath your feet  
Like you never had  
Like you never had**


	7. Dinner Date

**When you're at 10, 000 feet  
No parachute  
You got my hand  
I’m always gonna be  
Your safe plance to land  
safe place to land  
Your safe place to land**

“This is like, a really nice restaurant, Becs."

“Huh?” She felt the brunette’s leg stop shaking under the table and her blue eyes snapped to Chloe’s. "Oh yeah, very nice."

“You didn’t have to splurge for date night; you know delivery pizza and a Netflix movie would have more than sufficed."

“I feel like we always do that.” Beca swallowed hard, and Chloe could see the nervous way the DJ’s eyes darted around her face. “Besides, it’s not really . . . splurging . . . anymore."

She felt her brow furrow in confusion.

“No offense, Bec, but I know how much you make, this is definitely splurging."

“You know how much I used to make."

“What?"

Beca’s hands came up to drum a nervous beat on the tabletop.

“I signed a new contract two weeks ago; I uh . . ." she blew out a breath. “I got a bit of a raise."

“A bit?” She couldn’t help but ask, a smile stretching her face.

“Uh, like several thousand dollars . . . a month?"

Chloe’s jaw dropped - that definitely big news.

“Babe! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! This is so awesome! I’m so proud of you!!!

“Because, I’ll be dealing with bigger clients - more famous."

The younger girl stopped again, her fingers playing nervously with the edge of the table cloth.

“None of that sounds like a reason not to tell me! I love famous people!” She couldn’t help but tease.

“They want - well, I mean it’s not like a requirement, but I guess it’s uh . . . suggested that I move to the studio branch in LA. So I can be closer to my new clients."

“What?!” her hands smacked the table in excitement and her voice rose up an octave. “We’re moving to LA?! That’s awesome news, Becs!!” People were starting to look over at their table, but Chloe couldn’t bring herself to care, this was too huge to try and contain her excitement.

Beca, however, looked so nervous, like she could vomit at any moment. “I can’t ask my girlfriend to uproot her life and move across the country with me."

There it was. there was the reason for Beca’s nervousness. She was going to try and play the ‘we need to break up because it’s what’s best for you’ card again. She could feel the disappointment settle on her shoulders. She had really thought they were past that.

She opened her mouth to object, only to be cut off by the DJ.

“But, I could ask my wife.”

Before she could process the words, the server placed a glass of champagne in front of each of them - talk about horrible timing. She was about to ask Beca to repeat herself when a glint of something in her champagne glass caught her eye.

A ring.

A diamond ring.

A diamond ring sitting in the bottom of her glass with champagne bubbling up around it.

She gasped, her eyes locked on the object, although she could feel Beca’s stare on her face. She didn’t know how long she sat like that, but it must have been long enough to scare the DJ.

“Oh, god, this is too cheesy isn’t it? They do it in those stupid chick flicks you make me watch and I just thought it would be romantic but now you’re gonna say ’no’ and holy shit was this stupid, and I’m stupid and I’m so sor-"

“Babe!” She interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the younger girl’s rambling. “You haven’t asked me anything yet, how can I possibly say no?"

“Oh!” Beca’s voice was barely a squeak. “Right.” Chloe watched the girl take a deep breath, and carefully held herself back from just blurting out ‘yes’ as the words began tumbling over Beca’s lips.

“Chloe Beale, you have been my best friend for 20 years; and I swear, every year with you just gets better and better. I know that we have had our rough patches, but the good times make it all worth it. There is literally no one else in the world that I would ever want to wake up next to or kiss goodnight. I can’t imagine my life without you, and I really hope that you’ll say yes and that you’ll move to LA with me, or if you don’t want to move to LA then we don’t have to. I’ll do whatever you want, nothing else even matters. And I’m sorry that this thing is so cheesy, but honestly, you deserve all of the cheesy stuff, Chlo."

Beca’s eyes were filled with tears, but she kept going; her expression begging Chloe to listen.

As if she had any intention of interrupting her girlfriend’s adorable ramble.

"You could be Chloe Mitchell or I could be Beca Beale, although that sounds ridiculous. Or we could do that weird hyphenated thing Beale-Mitchell or Mitchell-Beale. Or we could make some new last name, I don’t even care."

Her voice turned serious, and she dropped to her knees beside Chloe’s chair, clutching the redhead’s hand tightly.

“Just please, please say yes. Because I don’t know what I would do without you - you’re my life, and I love you so much more than I ever thought I could love anything, even music. Also, I don’t think the jeweler will take the ring back now that it’s been in champagne, so . . . “ She was smirking now, but Chloe could still see the tears threatening to spill over.

She pretended to think about her answer.

“Well if the ring can’t be returned, then I suppose the only answer is for me to wear it. And I think Mitchell-Beale has a nice ring to it -"

“Chlo.” Beca’s voice sounded strangled. “Please don’t fuck with me."

Chloe leaned forward, detaching their hands so that she could cup the younger girl’s face.

“Yes. Yes, Beca, I would love to be your wife.”

“Seriously?"

“Seriously. Now please kiss me."

Beca complied swiftly, her lips covering Chloe’s until catcalls and applause sounded around them. The DJ pulled back, blushing and returned to her chair, scooting around until she was next to her fiancee.

“I can’t believe you said yes!"

“I can’t believe you thought I might say no!”

Beca leaned forward again to press their lips in a quick but loving kiss.

“This feels like a dream."

“It’s not."

“Promise?"

“Promise."

“You’ll still be there when I wake up?"

“Every morning for the rest of our lives. You’re stuck with me now."

“There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with. Although, there is one hitch in my plan."

“What?"

“I have no idea how to get the ring out of the champagne."

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at the serious look on Beca’s face.

“I’ll just drink it."

“No! You can’t drink it, you’ll choke on the ring! Or swallow it!"

“Babe, come on.” She rolled her eyes and picked up the glass, tilting it until the cool liquid was tingling down her throat. When it was empty, she mimed choking, pounding her chest before swallowing dramatically. At Beca’s frantic look, she grinned, plucking the ring from between her lips with two fingers.

“Jesus, Beale, don’t scare me like that!."

Chloe merely shook her head, wiping the ring off with a napkin.

“It’s beautiful,” She slipped it on. “and it fits perfectly."

“Your mom got hundreds of pictures, helping me pick the right one."

“Did she not like any of them?"

“No, she liked the first one, I just wanted it to be perfect."

“It is perfect, it’s all perfect, you’re perfect."

She watched as Beca’s eyes traced over her face for a long moment before turning to the menu.

“So, dinner- we should probably eat, because I plan on keeping you up all night."

She blushed under the DJ’s smirk, she should really be used to the teasing by now, she was going to be married to Beca Mitchell after all.

**And I'm always gonna break your fall  
If you let me be your safety net even when i know your wrong  
And I'll always be your tried and true  
Yeaheaah  
When your wings give out on you**


	8. The Dent

“Hey babe.” Beca answered her phone on the first ring, and Chloe winced. She was really hoping to catch her in the studio so she could just leave a voicemail.

“What are you doing?"

“Just going through some contracts."

“Oh, that sounds important, I’ll call you back later.” her finger was about to hit the ‘end call’ button when Beca’s voice screeched through the speakers.

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t hang up! The papers aren’t that important! Besides, even if they were, I always make time for my favorite redhead."

The only sound was soft breathing.

“Chlo?” The DJ’s voice lilted up into a question.

“Don’t freak out.”

There was a long pause and she could hear the younger girl shuffling papers around.

“Ohhkaay, well that’s not what you want to hear your wife say when she randomly call you in the middle of a workday."

She worried her lip between her teeth.

“Just promise you won’t freak out."

“I can’t promise that, Chlo. And the more you wait to tell me, the more freaked out I get. Just tell me what’s wrong.” She could hear Beca’s vocal chords squeezing around the words, forcing them to stay in a lower octave instead of the squeak that they usual had when the DJ was freaking out.

Chloe paused, dreading breaking the news; and Beca’s next sentence came in a rush.

“Are you hurt? Can you at least tell me that?"

“No, no, I’m not hurt."

She could hear Beca’s breath blow out between pursed lips the relief was evident in her voice when she spoke again.

“Alright, well, there’s that at least. Did somebody die?"

“No."

“Is somebody in the hospital?"

“No."

“Did you finally get fired for being too sexy to be a second grade teacher?"

She couldn’t help the tiny giggle that escaped.

“No, and stop trying to make me laugh, I feel horrible."

“So it’s something you did?"

She groaned in response.

“Alright, what could you have possibly done that warrants this much anxiety over telling me?"

She groaned again, burying her face in the couch cushions, even though she knew Beca couldn’t see her.

“Is it something to do with the house - oh my god, you blew the house up with one of your crazy Pinterest projects!"

“Noooo, although that would almost be better."

“Worse than blowing the house up?"

“I mean . . ."

She could almost hear the wheels turning in her wife’s head.

“The car?"

She groaned but it came out more like a whimper.

“You wrecked your car?"

“Nooooo."

There was another long pause.

“The Ferrari?"

“Maybe?” She winced, anticipating Beca’s reaction.

“You’re sure you’re ok?"

“Yes, I promise, I’m fine. I wouldn’t even really call it a wreck. . . "

“What would you call it then?”

“Ummm a fender bender?"

“What happened exactly?"

“Well I wanted to sweep out the garage, and I backed it out so that I would have room but then when I was pulling it back in I may have mis-judged the distance between it and the washing machine."

The words tumbled over themselves in their hurry to get out and as soon as they were free of her lips she felt the weight of the secret lift.

“So, let me ge this straight. You hit the washing machine with the Ferrari.” Even though Beca was across town, she could practically see the DJ’s hands moving as she spoke.

“Yes?"

“And you couldn’t just tell me this? Instead of making me think through every horrible thing that could have possibly happened?"

“Sorry."

“Chlo, it’s fine, just geez! Don’t freak me out like that! I was terrified!"

“I was afraid you would be mad! Aren’t you mad?!”

“It’s just a car!"

“Yeah, a really shiny, really expensive car that you’ve wanted to buy since high school."

“Seriously, it’s no big deal. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is anyway."

“It’s a pretty big dent, Becs."

“Babe, please stop beating yourself up, it’s fine! We can take it to the dealer tomorrow and I’m sure they can fix it. Just promise you won’t think about it the rest of the day."

“I’m not making any promises."

“Please try."

“I’ll try."

“Okay, I love you. I’ve gotta slip in the studio later so I’ll probably be home around 7."

“Alright, I love you."

The call ended and Chloe headed to the kitchen, a plan already hatching in her mind.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Most people assumed from their personalities that of the two, Chloe was the domestic one. And it was true, to a point.

Beca didn’t give two shits about what the wall color in hall bathroom was, whereas Chloe had spent two weeks pouring over paint catalogs until she found the perfect shade of cream. And when it came to painting said bathroom, Chloe gave Beca the roller brush and she took the trim because a steady hand on the mixing board did not equate a steady hand with a paint brush.

Cleaning was a chore that they both split equally, because really, who likes to clean except for Danny Tanner psychos?

Gardening? That had Chloe Mitchell-Beale written all over it. Her thumb was greener than a twenty dollar bill, and there was nothing she enjoyed more than spending a day out in the sunshine taking care of flowers.

Cooking was where Chloe’s domesticity ended.

Sure she could run a blender or a juicer like nobody’s business, but stick her in front of a stove and she was in danger of burning down the whole block- a fact that they quickly found out when she almost caught their dorm room on fire trying to making ramen noodles on a contraband hot plate. After that, Beca assumed responsibility for all cooking duties. Surprisingly, the DJ was a whiz in the kitchen, between Chloe’s constant badgering to eat healthy and her mother’s late nights at work, she had become quite the connoisseur. Chloe liked to dabble occasionally, but always under her wife’s watchful eye.

Despite her previous misshaps, she was sure that she could manage to cook a nice dinner to make up for wrecking her wife’s expensive toy, right?

Wrong.

She didn’t know pork chops could get that tough or that asparagus could get so . . . crisp, but it was. Don’t even get her started on the clumpy Bernaise sauce, how does that even happen?

So instead of being posed in a too short dress next to a romantic dinner when Beca got home, she was burrowed into the couch cushions, blankets pulled over her head; wallowing in shame.

“Honey, I’m home!” Beca’s declaration was followed by a loud chuckle, the brunette still found her little joke amusing, even after saying it almost every day for three years.

Usually, Chloe would laugh along, greeting her wife with a kiss and “How was your day?”

Today was not one of those days.

Beca rounded the corner to the living room, freezing like a deer in the headlights when she saw Chloe bundled up on the couch.

“Uh-oh.” She felt Beca sit at her feet. “Are you still upset about the car? I’m sure it’s not that bad, and I told you to stop worrying about it."

She merely groaned.

“Why does it smell like burned popcorn in here?"

She groaned again and Beca got up, the sound of her footsteps wandering into the kitchen.

“Oh, wow. That is . . . a valiant effort at popcorn breaded pork chops. . . . and uhh whatever that yellow stuff is.”

“Don’t mock me.” She mumbled into the pillow, unsure if the DJ would even be able to hear her.

“I’m not mocking it’s the thought that counts! And you obviously put a lot of thought into that."

Another groan.

“Come on, let’s go out to the car and you can show me where this ‘huge dent’ is."

Chloe groaned again but tossed back the blankets and got up, leading the way to the garage. Peering out from between her fingers, she pointed to the scratch adorning the bottom of the front bumper on the driver’s side.

She wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting Beca’s reaction to be, but it certainly wasn’t this, doubled over guffawing in the middle of garage. She tapped her foot impatiently, glaring at her wife until the younger woman sobered up.

“That’s what you were so worried about? It’s tiny!"

Chloe huffed.

“C’mere, let me show you something."

They walked around to the back of the car, where the DJ pointed out a similar scratch on the back bumper of the passenger side.

“That’s why I quit backing into the garage."

“Seriously?! It already had a scratch and you didn’t tell me?! I was freaking out!"

“Well from the way you talked, I thought that you had like taken the whole bumper off or something!"

“No, and then I tried to make you dinner, which that obviously turned out to be a bust."

“It was a very sweet effort! Which I appreciate!"

“You’re just saying that."

“No, I do appreciate it!” Chloe finally broke a smile under her wife’s loving gaze and the DJ continued. “I’m not going to eat it, but I appreciate it.”

That earned her a smack on the arm and a glare from the redhead.

“Look, how about we order some Chinese food and you can repay me for dinging up my car in other ways."

Chloe’s eyes narrowed.

“What ‘other ways’?"

“Remember that stint in college when you wanted to be an exotic dancer?"

**And I'm always  
gonna be  
Your safe place to land  
safe place to land  
The ground beneath your feet  
Like you never had  
Like you never had  
When you're at 10, 000 feet  
No parachute  
You got my hand **


	9. The Announcement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it for this one! It's been a fun ride!

Chloe had spent all week searching for a way to announce her pregnancy to Beca. She had searched Pinterest, cards, gifts, and any other possible way to break the news, but none of them really felt like Beca. Finally just as she was about to throw in the towel and tell her right there over breakfast, she got an idea.

Every morning, without fail, Beca opened up the newspaper and read their horoscopes out loud before turning to the comics. She never really understood why they had to have an actual physical newspaper delivered to their house , (something about a great American tradition falling to the wayside), but she never argued; always tossing the paper in with the recycling after breakfast.

It was definitely playing to her advantage this morning though. She made it downstairs a little early that morning, stepping out on the porch to snag the paper before sneaking out the horoscope page and replacing it with a fake page that she had had made up.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she quickly turned back to mixing her coffee.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, paper 's on the counter!"

"Aw, thanks babe." Beca leaned over to peck her cheek before pouring her own cup of coffee and grabbing the box of frosted mini wheats. She flipped the paper open with one hand and reached into the box of cereal with the other.

“Let’s see. . .” She munched on a piece of dry cereal. “Here’s mine - ‘Listen to your wife today, she has great news to share.’ Well, that’s specific. Weird."

The DJ made a face and took out another mini wheat before scanning down the page. “Yours says ‘Congratulations on the new life growing inside of you’. What the fuck? That’s so weird!” She got up from her seat to grab a bowl and the carton of milk. “Somebody new must be writing the horoscopes."

Chloe merely grinned behind her coffee cup. “Yep.” She waited until Beca turned to her, single eyebrow raised in question, before she continued. “Me."

“You?” the younger girl turned back to the bar, filling her bowl with mini wheats. “Why would you write it? You’re not a psychic.”

Chloe remained silent, waiting for the realization to hit.

The wheels were turning, and she could tell when the light bulb started to flicker on- right in the middle of Garfield- her wife’s brow wrinkling in confusion before she looked up to stare at Chloe.

The redhead felt her face heat under the close scrutiny, before blue eyes drifted down to her stomach. There was no baby bump yet- wouldn’t be for a few more weeks- but it was almost as if Beca had x-ray vision, the recognition slowly dawning and her jaw slowly dropping down as if someone was cranking it open.

Blue eyes flitted back to Chloe’s, the emotion in them almost enough to make Chloe cry.

Stupid hormones.

“You- you- you’re pregnant?"

She nodded, the tears spilling over now; as Beca made her way around the counter to wrap her in a tight hug.

“Hey, why are you crying?"

“I’ve just been trying to find a way to tell you for so long and now you know and I’m just so- so- so happy!!"

She collapsed into Beca, inexplicable emotion turning her into a blubbering mess. She could feel the brunette shaking with laughter and that only fueled her tears.

“Wh-why are you laughing?"

“Because, I’m happy too! Only I’m not pregnant, so happiness doesn’t cause me to burst into tears.” Soft hands stroked her hair and the tears slowly dried.

“You could have just told me, ya know.” Beca mumbled and Chloe pulled back to look at her, still sniffling.

“But- I wanted it to be special."

“We’re having a baby, of course it’s special!”

She relaxed into the DJ’s arms again, barely catching the next girl’s sentence.

“But for the record, this was perfect."

**I’m always gonna be  
The bright lights that shine and guide you back  
I'm always gonna be  
Your safe plance to land  
Safe place to land  
The ground beneath your feet  
Like you never had  
Like you never had  
When you're at 10, 000 feet  
No parachute  
You got my hand**

Nine months had never seemed like such a long time.

Well, to be honest, the first eight months went by pretty quickly. The last month had seemed like a year.

They had been through morning sickness, late night cravings, birthing classes, baby showers, and maternity photo shoots.

Now all they had to do was wait.

It was two days past her due date, and while Chloe was beginning to feel like a beached whale; she was also getting extremely tired of being around her wife.

Don’t get her wrong, she loved Beca, she did. The DJ had taken the week off around her due date to get a jump on maternity leave, and she was currently doing a great job at driving Chloe insane.

From the way she talked, ate, slept, all of it; Chloe was done, Anything and everything that Beca did grated on her nerves until she felt a constant and steady stream of anger.

She knew it wasn’t the brunette’s fault, she knew that it was really just a mix of hormones, exhaustion, and a healthy dose of being really, really ready to get this baby out. Little baby Mitchell-Beale, also known as Emily Grace, was going to be issued an eviction notice soon, in the form of an induction. It was scheduled for bright and early the day after tomorrow, just in case she didn’t take the hint of Chloe pleading withe her to hurry up and be born.

Chloe didn’t WANT to be induced, she wanted it to happen naturally. And she really didn’t want to have to wait that long. She loved her daughter, she did, but she would much rather hold the little nugget in her arms, where she could ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over how cute she was, and give her hugs and kisses, and smell that amazing baby smell. That sounded much better than Em using her bladder as a trampoline.

Speaking of her bladder, she had to get up to pee every two minutes, which pretty much put sleeping out of the question. If she wasn’t exhausted enough, that certainly sent her over the edge.

What made it worse was that every time she so much as flinched, Beca was by her side; asking if it was time to get the hospital bags.

She was just sooo tired of being pregnant.

Especially now, at two o’clock in the morning, when her daughter was doing the Macarena on her bladder. She had definitely inherited Chloe’s love for dancing at least.

She washed her hands, stopping to look in the mirror; her pajama bottoms hung low on her waist and her shirt was taut across her abdomen. There was a strip of skin showing, and she grinned at the sight; Beca adored the pregnancy look - it was pretty much a surefire turn on. Her third trimester hormones raged, and she thought for a brief moment about crawling into the bed and waking her wife up for a midnight romp. Sex was supposed to induce labor, and that was almost enough of an excuse, but she knew Beca was tired too. The woman had been running around like crazy these past few weeks ensuring that everything was ready for their new arrival.

She opted for a hot shower instead, hoping that the warmth would be enough to lull her into slumber. Halfway through, she felt a warm liquid trickle down her leg.

Oh, shit. It’s happening. I’m about to give birth. To a baby. We’re about to be moms.

She kept calm, knowing that it could still be hours before anything actually happened. She finished her shower, the contractions starting as she got dressed. She quietly picked up the clutter from the living room; enjoying her last moments of solitude before the storm.

The contractions started occurring closer and closer together as she worked, but she didn’t really notice, the walking she was doing easing the pain. Finally, when the house was practically spotless, she began to notice the pain steadily getting worse. She made her way to the bedroom, flicking the light on without warning.

“Time to have a baby, Becs!"

The DJ flailed around, somehow tangling all of the blankets and sheets around her before dropping to the floor with a thud. A hand shot out to grab the glasses on the nightstand before disappearing under the covers again. Beca’s head came out next, spectacled eyes blinking wildly against the sudden influx of light and the messy bun on her head sprouting frazzled strands.

“Baby time?!"

“Baby time!” Chloe confirmed, laughing at the grin that spread across her wife’s face.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Giving birth was the most painful thing that she had ever experienced. She had planned on giving birth naturally, but honestly as she would have taken the epidural if the doctor hadn’t told her that she was too far along for it to be effective. That had ended up with her making Beca swear on her mixing board that she was going to be carrying child #2.

The DJ was the picture a supportive wife throughout the whole process, and she even won Chloe quite a bit of money in the Bella's betting pool when she made through the entire labor without passing out.

Emily Grace Mitchell-Beale was eight pounds and two ounces of absolute perfection. Everybody said so. Especially Beca, who uttered the sentiment at least once every five minutes. She refused to leave the baby’s side, insisting on being there every moment of the process - from footprints to first bath. Eventually the DJ crashed on the couch in the room, Emily’s head tucked tightly on her chest and completing the scene of complete adorableness. If she ever asked, Chloe was NOT responsible for the pictures that ended up on instagram.

When they finally made it home two days later, the redhead collapsed into their bed, still exhausted from the whole ordeal. Beca had promised to look after Emily for a few hours so that she could catch up on some sleep, and she fully planned on taking advantage of the offer.

She woke up hours later, shocked that she had actually slept that long without being interrupted. Yawning, she followed the sound of soft singing into the nursery where her heart promptly melted into puddle on the floor.

There in the rocker was Beca, baby Emily held in front of her; brown eyes gaping up with complete adoration. Beca’s soft alto filled the room, the gentle words bringing tears to Chloe’s eyes.

**I’m always gonna be  
Your safe plance to land  
Safe place to land  
You safe place to land  
Like you never had**


End file.
